The Coalition
The Coalition was originally a paramilitary faction formed after the events of Operation Dethrone, composed primarily of Ex-Lambda members along with a handful of ex-CCA units. Recruitment of CCA was limited and handicapped by general resentment toward the former units by the coalitions majority lambda population, and in general only CCA ranks 05-01 were allowed to join the coalition. At the coalitions prime, before and during the time of the New Unions first arrival in North America, it's membership reached 40,000 with steady growth over time. They we're able to amass a sizable armory, consisting of pre-war tanks and several other pre-war civilian and military vehicles, remaining as the dominant force in the North-East USA for quite some time. Their original broad intent was quite simple; pick up the pieces the Universal Union had left and try to return humanity to its former strength. Due to their initial set up in the great lakes regions of North America, as well as reaching down into Pennsylvania and Maryland, coalition territory bumped heads with what a newly arriving New Union considered their expansion space. The two groups generally avoided each other until repeated confrontations in the New Union 'canal base' region forced a meeting between 08292, and General Dimitri Stolyarchuk, the Coalitions founder and leader at the time. 08292 essentially gave an ultimatum; align with the New Union or be destroyed. Stolyarchuk, able to tell that the New Union, even though it had yet to fully bring itself to North America, was far more powerful and advanced than the Coalition. Stolyarchuk accepted 08292s terms, and the Coalition, allowed to keep its identity and methods of operation, become a sort of proxy-state of the New Union. This decision was met with mixed feelings from Coalition members. Some weren't too bothered, considering that overall, little had changed in their day to day life. For many, however, especially the ex-lambda, they felt as though they had lost their freedom in a way, and to a faction that wore the uniforms and masks that they had previously fought during Union occupation. There was bitterness and resentment in the Coalition toward the New Union that would never entirely go away. Over time, the New Union filled into North America completely, and would begin sending officials. usually JUDGE and SWORD units, into Coalition territory to both train and monitor it's members. Eventually some New Union equipment was shared with the Coalition, namely communications devices, which allowed better cooperation between the two groups. As the New Union firmly planted roots in North America and begin to set its sight fully west, the Coalition would be refined into the 'Vanguard' by New Union training efforts. The Vanguards task was reconnaissance, path-finding, scavenging, and recruitment outreach. Prior to any New Union expansion effort, Vanguard groups would be sent ahead to ensure safe and efficient passage, as well as lay the ground work for New Union recruiting officials to later come and either enlist men or assimilate settlements. Vanguard recruitment efforts produced mixed results, as the Vanguard was by no means entirely unified or motivated to grow the New Union. In far western areas where the New Union had not yet reached, there was little to no JUDGE presence, and the Vanguard could often speak and operate how they pleased, at least until the New Union caught up behind them. This pattern continued for some time, the military effectiveness and path-finding skill of the Vanguard becoming greatly enhanced over time by both first hand experience and the strict and rigid training the New Union offered. At some point, General Stolyarchuk stepped down from his leadership position and handed the reigns to then Captain James O'malley, who made efforts to entirely rework the Vanguard and it's identity from inside out. The boost in effectiveness, coupled with the resentment that never quite dissipated since Stolyarchuk surrendered the Coalitions independence, would come to haunt the New Union during the Second Schism and the Fall of City 33. The Second Schism brought chaos and instability to an unprepared City 33, and long serving members of the Coalition saw an opportunity for both vengeance and freedom from a now severely weakened New Union. Rebellious Vanguard members began to stir up trouble and incite riots, eventually paving the road for full on armed conflict. There was much confusion in the exact identity of the Vanguard as a whole during these events. A small group of Vanguard for whatever reasons stayed loyal to the New Union, and either died fighting for them or fled with them. The fighting in the city also caused the release of hundreds upon thousands of New Union prisoners, some former Vanguard and some just plain violent criminals, who quickly blended into and swelled the ranks of the rebelling Vanguard forces. Some of these prisoners however detached from the fighting and splintered into dozens of small gangs, taking flight into all parts of the continent and causing trouble elsewhere, armed with the loot left by the fighting in 33. At the end of the fighting in City 33, most Vanguard forces joined under the then shaky command of former Captain, now General O'Malley, who was largely accredited by Vanguard members for the victories over the New Union. O'Malley had his men take all that was still useful from the ruins of the battle, and then retreat completely from the city, Northward to a large Vanguard outpost. Since this time, the Coalition has retaken its independent identity, and still remains operating in the great lakes region that it occupied before the New Unions arrival. They have largely kept to their own borders since then, and there is no real information on how they have changed since the fall of city 33. They are believed to have re-branded as the "Norguard Confederacy". It is assumed from other groups, that the Coalitions new form is now heavily influenced by the freed criminal elements that flocked to their ranks, and no diplomatic outreach has been made towards them by any larger faction. Coalition Civil Protection Program T Work-In-Progress Category:Factions